It's funny how we mark a lot of our time in life around various schedules. Despite having graduated from college years ago, I've always had people close to me in school, or I've coached, or whatever, so the calendar year often doesn't really match with distinct periods of my life. 2006, for me, really kind of began in the fall of 2005.
The fall was kind of a turning point for me, when I really started to feel like life was going to continue despite Stephanie moving out that previous spring. It was that fall that I fell in love with someone new, and started to really gain a little clarity about how life can be. That was an evolutionary process that continued, and goes on today. It's weird how sometimes you need someone to make you feel good, in order to realize you have all the reason in the world to feel good about yourself. I still think happiness has to come from within, but it doesn't hurt to have it sparked by someone else.
As I mentioned in my business/career post, March was a turning point for me in terms of career happiness. I also decided it was about time to get some other things rolling.
The first thing was to get back into the video business. HD finally became affordable, and that meant that I could do standard def stuff for money, and have the tools to shoot a movie. I didn't really do as much movie watching as I would have liked to, but the bug took hold. Unfortunately, the writing thing is holding me up in terms of actually getting bits recorded, but I'm OK with that. I did some little projects and posted some stuff on the Net. The short and the feature will come along eventually.
Steph and I realized that dissolving the marriage was the best thing to do in March, and made that final in July. As much as it seemed like the natural course of action, it was hard. Strangely enough it didn't hit me as hard as it did when she moved to Colorado just two weeks ago. It's not like I wanted her to come back or anything, but that was a more final ending to a whole lot of years, you know?
The second thing I wanted to do early in the year was start dating. In April I started dating Catherine. Weird how someone can come out of nowhere and change your life. We had some really great times almost immediately. In addition to introducing me to the Four Agreements (be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best), she has helped me to realize what the core conditions are that I require in a relationship. I've always felt that my requirements were simple, but now I have it well defined: Love and allow yourself to be loved, hide nothing and be honest about what you feel, never cheat or cause mental or physical abuse (I know, that last part is rare, especially for a dude).
I've lapsed a little in terms of taking care of myself. I gained back a few of the pounds I lost last year. Of course I blame work, vacations, time, amusement parks and other such shit. :) I'll get my shit together I hope soon, because it's thing I consistently don't like about myself.
This was the year of the Blue Man Group. After being bummed out about not seeing the Complex tour, I took the opportunity to see them in Las Vegas, twice. Then when I heard they were firing up the tour again, needless to say, I was first in line to buy tickets. I drew Cath into the phenomenon, and got Kara hooked last year, so I brought them both to the best arena show ever. Then when I realized that Cath lived in Columbus, duh, I had to get tickets for that show. She flew her mom in and I took them to that show up in the nose bleeds. You see, it's not just about enjoying the show, it's about sharing it. :) I'd pay for a private show for all of my friends if I could! (And only if Tracy Bonham could play the show.) And yeah, I'm seeing them in Dayton, and for the new theatrical opening in Orlando.
I got back into the amusement park thing this year, oddly enough because Catherine encouraged it. At the start of the summer, she had never even been on a roller coaster, and we went to not only Cedar Point, but Geauga Lake, Hersheypark, Holiday World, the Disney parks and Universal Orlando. She's even been on Millennium Force. I got my money's worth at Cedar Point, and had many good times there.
Music wasn't the best this year. There wasn't a lot of stuff I really latched on to. But an old favorite came back, that being Dido's "See The Sun Again." That song really saved my mood countless times. Later I'd get sucked into liking Natasha Bedingfield, especially "Silent Movie" and "Sojourn." I also discovered Jem, who is Dido-ish and put out an album a year or two ago. With all of the Blue Man stuff, I finally got hooked on Tracy Bonham, who is totally amazing. It was a good year for me listening to girl singers.
The coming year is like a big question mark, and that's a little scary, but exciting. I don't know where my job will take me, how well my business will do, or really anything other than I'll probably still be alive. Basically I'm hoping for good health, good music, and a sense of peace.
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